Householders hit with €150 refuse collection charge

WATERFORD householders have been hit with a €150 flat charge for domestic refuse collection for 2006.

The controversial charge will be in addition to existing fees for the collection of the different type bins and recyclable bags and will leave most households facing an annual bill in the region of €450.

It yesterday emerged that county manager Ray O'Dwyer has preempted the outcome of Waterford County Council's adjourned estimates meeting on January 4 next by using his legislative powers to rubber stamp the introduction of the €150 fee.

The manager's decision was heavily criticised.

Cllr Brendan Mansfield said: "Today is the day democracy died a death in Co Waterford."

At the original estimates meeting last week, none of the 23 elected members spoke in support of the managerial proposal to introduce the fee.

With little prospect of the estimates being adopted, it was unanimously agreed to adjourn the meeting until January 4 just two days before the deadline set by the Department of the Environment for county councils to adopt the estimates.

"For the manager to do as he has done in advance of that meeting is a disgrace," said Mr Mansfield. "It shows that the elected members no longer have any powers in relation to environment issues. The elected representatives went before the public with our policies whereas the county manager is an unelected Government-appointed official."

Mr Mansfield said the manager's decision is a very unpleasant Christmas gift for thousands of householders, but it should be remembered that it was their own minister, Martin Cullen, when he was in the Department of the Environment, who brought in the legislation giving all the power on environmental issues to unelected officials.

The council's director of services, Denis McCarthy, said that even with the new €150 charge they are still one of the most competitive councils in the country in relation to refuse collection charges.

Mr McCarthy said the council will have no landfill after December 31 and all of their waste will have to be transported to Carlow and there will be inevitable transportation costs.

However, several councillors are predicting widespread resistance to the €150 charge and are also fearful that it will generate illegal dumping on an unprecedented scale in the coming year.